What Do You Know About Stuttering?

What do Lewis Carroll, Bill Walton, and King George VI have in common? They were all stutterers at some point in their lives. The Stuttering Foundation of America (SFA) offers this quiz to see how much you know about stuttering.

1. More than 3 million Americans stutter.

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Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a communication disorder.

A. TrueB. False

2. Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.

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Scientists don't know why this is so.

A. TrueB. False

3. Despite decades of research, no clear-cut answers have emerged about the causes of stuttering.

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But much has been learned about the factors that contribute to the development of stuttering. Genetics plays a part, because stuttering tends to run in families. Young children who are pushed to speak and speak quickly also can develop a stutter. The SFA says that parents can take several steps to help a stutterer. The main step is to slow down when speaking. Another way to help is to refrain from bombarding your child with questions. If you say, "What did you do at Johnnie's house?," that forces the child to come up with an answer quickly. If you say, "You look like you had a good time at Johnnie's house," you give the child time to think, without pressure, and come up with an answer. Reading to your child can also help, but don't think that you have to read complex material to be effective. Simple nursery rhymes teach language by making it fun.

A. TrueB. False

4. People who stutter are self-conscious about their stuttering and often let the disability determine their vocation.

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The SFA says that people who stutter often pick careers such as journalism or accounting that don't require a lot of talking. But what really helps someone who stutters is therapy and practice.

A. TrueB. False

5. You won't find any quick miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy can take up to six months.

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There is no magic pill that will make stuttering go away in a day, but a speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering can help. According to the SFA, the amount of therapy and the length of time needed to accomplish specific goals may vary with each individual.

A. TrueB. False

6. A quarter of all children go through a stage of speech development with severe enough problems to concern their parents.

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Many children occasionally repeat syllables or words once or twice, li-li-like this. Other speech differences, or "dysfluencies," may also include hesitancies and the use of fillers such as "uh," "er," and "um." Experts say that these dysfluencies occur most often between 18 months and 5 years of age and that they tend to come and go. Just remember that these are usually signs that a child is using language in new ways. The National Institutes of Health is working to identify the gene or genes responsible for stuttering. Once that's done, a child who stutters may be able to have a simple blood test to see if he carries the marker for stuttering. If so, that child could then go into therapy immediately. A child without the marker would eventually outgrow his speech problem without therapy.

A. TrueB. False

7. Stuttering becomes more of a problem as a child becomes a teenager.

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The teenager is starting to date and interact socially, and problems with stuttering can make this period difficult for the teen.

A. TrueB. False

8. Famous people who stutter have included Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Mel Tillis, Carly Simon, James Earl Jones, and John Updike.

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All of these people and many others went on to lead successful lives.

A. TrueB. False

9. If you are seeking therapy for your child with a stuttering problem, it's best to look for a speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering.

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One way to find such a professional is to visit the SFA website at http://www.stutteringhelp.org. Or, you may contact a nearby university or hospital clinic for referral assistance. You should look for a speech and language pathologist who has a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.